Collide
by timeaftertime09
Summary: Daniel & Betty are slowly getting closer, until an obstacle gets in their way . . .
1. Chapter 1

"That was _not_ how it happened, Daniel!" Betty giggled. "_You_ set me up!"

"Hey – I never told you to bow when you tipped the doorman," Daniel denied.

"_Yes you did_ – you told me it was a new custom to bow to service people!" she insisted. "That it was a way to show respect for them."

Daniel burst out laughing.

"And you actually _believed_ me?" he shook his head in amazement.

Betty playfully shoved him – well, as much as she could in a cab.

"You're so cute when you're mortified," he grinned at her with adoration.

"You're paying for this, Meade!" she teased.

Those were the last words Betty spoke before hers and Daniel's worlds literally came crashing down – before her flirting words ironically became true.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion – the truck jackknifing into them, him trying to pull Betty out of the way, the broken glass, her painful screams, slamming the back of his body against the door, the paramedics, the Jaws of Life, the ride in the ambulance, the foreign-sounding sirens . . .

She was alive, but in critical condition. He had refused medical attention and claimed he was her fiancé in order to see her - a title he hoped to earn one day. Hell, he'd marry her then if she'd let him. But she didn't even know. He'd never told her how he felt, and now she was fighting for her life. He couldn't put that on her right then – she had enough to deal with as it was. So he simply held her hand and prayed for her to be alright.

She looked so small . . . fragile, pale. She had cuts from the glass all over her face and arms. She wasn't the same woman who had pulled him out of so many messes he couldn't count. He brushed her blood-stained hair away from her forehead and gently kissed it. If the truck driver hadn't already died on impact, he'd be seeking him out right then and making him pay for doing this to her.

Betty's eyes slowly opened and darted around in confusion.

"Baby, it's okay. I'm right here," Daniel assured her, unable to control the slip of an endearment.

"Daniel? What happened?" she weakly mumbled.

"We were in an accident," he answered. "But you don't need to worry about anything. Just get some rest."

"It's bad . . . isn't it?" she said.

Apparently, despite how hard he tried to cover it, the fear was written all over his face. It was one time when he wished she didn't know him as well as she did.

"You're going to be fine and back to your gullible self in no time!" he told her with a thumbs-up.

"You're just as bad a liar as I am, you know?" she teased.

Daniel nervously chuckled as a nurse came in and checked her vitals.

"Looks like you're finally stabilizing. I'll tell the doctor and get the consent form," the woman said.

"Daniel? W-What's she talking about?" Betty began to panic.

"From what they told your dad – he and your family are on the jet right now - you have some internal bleeding, along with a broken leg and a couple of ribs. The doctors couldn't operate on you until your body had time to recover from the shock . . . but now they can – they have to," he explained.

"Could I . . .?" she asked, unable to say the dreaded word.

"Don't even _think_ that!" Daniel insisted, tears forming in his eyes, his voice cracking.

He couldn't stand to have her thinking the worst. It wasn't her – she was always the positive one – the cheerleader. She was the queen of pep talks – hearing her talk like that was heartbreaking.

The nurse returned with the form and Betty shakily signed it. She prepared Betty's bed to be wheeled to the operating room.

"But if I _don't_ make it –" she began.

"Betty . . ." he trailed off.

"No – Daniel there's something I need you to know," she insisted. "I . . . I l-"

He had a feeling she was about to utter the three words he'd longed to hear from her. But he didn't want her to say them at that moment – not as a last minute confession. He wanted it to be natural . . . happy . . . in a place that wasn't filled with machines and needles and nurses and smelled of antiseptic.

"_No_ – don't say it – _not now!_" he gently placed two fingers to her lips. "Say whatever it is when you wake up, okay? Because you _are_ – you'll be giving me that beautiful Betty smile and have all your spunk back . . . You're a fighter, Betty. I know you're scared, but just promise me you'll fight, because you have so many people who care about you – whose day you make brighter just by walking into a room or talking to them on the phone. They need you . . . _I_ need you."

"I promise," she said, a tear trickling down her cheek.

He gently wiped it away.

"No crying, okay? You're coming back to me," he said. "Who else will yell at me when I screw up? Or drag me to karaoke bars? Or make me watch old movies 'til two in the morning?"

Betty giggled as much as she could in her condition.

"We're ready," the nurse said.

Daniel tenderly kissed her hand and they held on as long as they could before she was taken away. He sat in a chair in her room and broke down, unable to hold it in anymore. The weight of the guilt overwhelmed him. If he hadn't been such a gentleman and let her get in first . . . if they had walked another block . . . if they had taken another cab or the Tube . . . if he had been faster at pulling her out of the way . . . she wouldn't be struggling to survive. He felt like throwing a chair, a trashcan – anything. But he knew he had to pull it together or they'd kick him out. He ran his hands through his hair and wiped the tears that stained his face.

He remembered their first dinner together after he came to London. She was so sexy in that little black dress . . . so confident in herself as she talked about her new job – getting the hang of dealing with contracts and persuading advertisers to sign, hiring a staff. She lit up with excitement so much that he regretted ever wanting to deprive her of that happiness.

And yet, she was so uncertain of how to react to _him_ – to his subtle but new gestures of holding doors, taking her coat, pulling out her chair, holding her hand, stealing glances, kissing her cheek goodnight . . . The awkwardness was as if they were getting to know each other for the first time, even though they'd been close friends for years.

He couldn't tell her the truth, but he needed her to erase the thought that he had been her boss and focus solely on their personal relationship. Betty had never liked change, but he was hoping since she had taken the leap for a new job, she could eventually see taking one for him.

They weren't there yet, but they had come so far since then. After two weeks of unofficially dating, she didn't jump at his touch or question his extreme politeness. She welcomed his flirting stares and banter. She blushed at his small pecks on her cheek and almost seemed ready for more. He had been hoping for the right time to give her a genuine kiss. To sweep her off her feet and let her know he truly wanted her. In fact, he had been going to make it happen that night, until the crash occurred.

The crash . . . It seemed as though something was always getting in their way – greasy-haired nerds, jobs in London . . . Why couldn't they catch a break? Why couldn't they just have time to figure things out . . . for them _both_ to fall in love? Why was she always being taken away from him? Did he not deserve her? Maybe that was it – she was so perfect in every way and he had been such a jerk to her in the beginning. Maybe this was his payback . . . Maybe karma was returning to bite him in the ass.

But he loved this woman with his whole heart. He'd never felt it stronger than he did when he was with her. He couldn't lose her – not now – _not ever! _She was everything to him. She _had_ to come out of this – she had her entire life ahead of her – even if it didn't include him in the long run. She didn't deserve this. It wasn't fair – if anything, _he_ should be the one on that operating table, not Betty. _He_ had been the one who'd always screwed things up and been a jackass to women. _He_ had been selfish and self-centered, egotistical, and unwilling to work for anything.

Betty was the one who changed him. She was the only one who had believed in him, didn't put up with his bullshit or his player ways. She didn't see him as a millionaire playboy, she saw who he was on the inside. She made him want to open up to her . . . tell her things he'd never told anyone. She got him to see how much he could accomplish if he just tried. She taught him how to truly love. She made him want to be a better man.

He glanced at his Rolex – only an hour had passed. The ETA on her surgery was still undetermined. The doctors wouldn't know how bad the bleeding was until they got in there. And then there were the pins that needed to be placed in her leg . . . _Oh god_ . . .

The Suarezes would be there in another couple of hours. He couldn't be like this in front of them – she was their daughter, their sister, their aunt – he was just . . . he didn't even know. His and Betty's relationship was still undefined. All he did know was that he loved her more than anything and she'd want her family to be taken care of. He had to be strong for them. He had to calm down and stop thinking about everything. He went over to the bench by the window and laid down, closed his eyes and tried to relax.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you all for reading and for commenting! Here is the final installment. Enjoy! :)_

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"I'm deeply sorry, Mr. Meade, but there were complications, and Ms. Suarez did not make it," the surgeon told Daniel.

"What? No! How? No! _No_ – there has to be a mistake – you have to be talking about someone else! _Not Betty!_ Not the beautiful, spunky girl who lights up a room with her smile. She's got silky dark brown hair . . . perfect olive skin . . . these cute little freckles on her nose . . . and eyes – _oh god,_ her eyes are incredible . . . like dark chocolate pools – you could drown in them . . . You've got the wrong girl!" Daniel insisted, desperately.

"I'm sorry, but it is Betty Suarez who I'm referring to," the woman said.

"No – NO! You're lying! Let me see her – I _have_ to see her! No! _Oh, god, no!_" he crumbled to the floor. "No! Nooooo . . . . No!"

"Daniel?" Ignacio tapped him.

"No . . ." Daniel moaned.

"Mijo, wake up," Betty's father shook him. "You're having a pesadilla."

Daniel slowly opened his eyes.

"Mr. Suarez?" Daniel said, confused. "How's Betty – she's not -?"

"No, my son. Betty is fine," Ignacio assured him, pointing to her sleeping form across the room.

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.

"In fact, she's been asking for you," he said

"She has?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, she's been drifting in and out, but every time she wakes she mentions your name. You two must have had some accident. I'm happy you both are okay," Ignacio said.

"Thank you. Me, too," he smiled.

"Betty said you never left her side. Gracias, Daniel. It's good to know that she had someone when I couldn't be there for her," Ignacio put a hand on his shoulder.

"It was nothing. I was already here, and I uh . . . I really care about her, you know?" Daniel brushed it off.

"I do, son. Te comprendo," Ignacio gave him a perceptive look.

Daniel had a feeling Betty's father knew a lot more than he was letting on. He and his mother should have dinner more often . . .

"Daniel?" a faint voice called.

"Betty?" he walked over to her.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hey," he grinned, fighting the urge to throw his arms around her and never let go. "See - I told you you'd be okay."

"You were worried," she maintained.

"Where'd you get that idea?" he wondered.

"I heard you moaning in your sleep . . . I'm so sorry you went through that," she said, taking his hand.

"I'll leave you kids alone," Ignacio excused himself.

"Okay, so I worried a little," he admitted.

Betty looked at him skeptically.

"Okay, a lot," he caved.

She smiled, adoringly.

"Come here, for a minute," she motioned for him to sit on her bed.

"Closer," she requested. "There's something I need to tell you."

He moved nearer and she pulled his lips down to hers in a soft, tender kiss.

"I love you, Daniel," she confessed.

"I love you, too," he told her. "But are you sure?"

"Positive," she assured him. "Daniel, I think I've known since you asked me to dinner when you first showed up here – I just couldn't admit it to myself. I tried to fight it because I didn't want to lose what we already had, but you made it so easy . . ."

He smiled, shyly, and looked down.

"And today, when they were trying to get me out of the cab . . . it hurt so much . . . but you held my hand and you stroked my hair . . . you called me 'baby' and promised everything would be okay . . . you told me funny stories about Marc and Amanda to distract me . . . made me sing 'I Got You, Babe' with you . . . I knew then that I couldn't deny it any longer . . . If I hadn't passed out from the pain, I would've told you in the ambulance," she revealed.

"I didn't know you even remembered that," he said.

"I didn't – not when I first woke up before the surgery. But it all came back to me," she explained, running her fingers over his hand.

He took her hand and kissed it.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he smiled.

"Are _you?_ With everything that happened . . . did you get checked out?" she asked, noticing a few cuts on his face and arms.

"My back's a little sore, but I'll be okay," he shrugged.

"_Daniel . . ._ you didn't answer my question," she caught him.

"Okay, no – I didn't. But I'll be fine," he insisted.

"Will you please do it – for me?" she pleaded.

"Actually, if you're up for it, I was hoping we could do more of this . . ." he said, gently teasing her bottom lip. "Yep. My back feels much better now."

Betty playfully pushed him away.

"Go!" she giggled. "We can do more of _that_ when my family leaves for their hotel."

"Fine. But you'll miss me . . ." he flirted.

"Out!" she laughed. "Hey, Daniel?"

"Yeah?" he turned around at the doorway.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you too," Daniel smiled.

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Betty had moved in with Daniel after being released from the hospital, in order to have 24-hour care, but obviously there were bonuses to it as well. Daniel knew she'd be a handful as far as insisting she could do more work than she really should be doing, but he loved knowing he'd have her around all the time. It was the perfect excuse for them to take the next step, without actually having to say it.

Two months later, Betty was practically back to normal again, but showing no signs of wanting to be anywhere else.

Daniel came out of the bathroom to find her teetering on the arm of the couch, with a fly-swatter.

"_Betty!_ What do you think you're doing?" he rushed over and picked her up, putting her down on the seat of the couch.

"Hey! You scared it – now I'll never catch it!" she groaned.

"Catch what?" he asked.

"This really annoying fly – it kept buzzing in my ear and I couldn't concentrate," she explained, holding up the mock-up for her first issue.

"Why didn't you call me? Baby, you just healed from a broken leg and ribs – do you wanna end up like that again?" he berated her.

"You were taking a shower . . . and I'm _fine_," she insisted.

"Yeah, after I stopped you," he argued.

"You're going to have to quit worrying about me at some point," she told him.

He sat down beside her and fingered the three karat diamond ring on her left hand.

"Never," he vowed.

"So even when we're old and gray, you'll be hovering over me, telling me I can't go alone to the store after dark or eat salty foods?" she teased.

"Yep," he said.

"I guess I can live with that . . ." she smiled at him and snuggled against his chest. "As long as you don't complain when I tell you the same thing."

"Fair enough," he agreed, gently kissing her temple, knowing they probably would end up exactly like that.


End file.
